University of Pittsburgh (School of Nursing)

Welcome to the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. This is an exciting and interesting time to be in nursing. The critical shortage of both practitioners and educators is leading to multiple options for those interested in the profession. Jobs are available nationwide in a wide range of settings, typically at excellent salaries, with opportunities for growth. At the University of Pittsburgh, we are preparing students who will become leaders in the profession, contributing to the advancement of health care and the profession itself.

The University of Pittsburgh prepares nurses at a variety of levels. We offer a traditional program, which admits persons with a high school degree; a program for registered nurses who have received entry-level education in community colleges or hospital programs; and a second-degree program for individuals who have already received a baccalaureate degree in another field. Our students receive excellent clinical preparation within a superior health care system and throughout the greater Pittsburgh community.

Our master of science and doctor of nursing practice programs are designed to prepare expert nurse practitioners, nurse clinicians, and nurse anesthetists, as well as to prepare knowledgeable practitioners in nursing education, nursing administration, informatics, or research management. We also have a generalist master program in nursing, the CNL. Students have the opportunity for excellent mentored experiences to develop their knowledge and skills. U.S. News and World Report ranks our graduate program 7th “Among America’s Best Graduate Schools.”

Our PhD program is also well respected. It prepares nurses for academic roles and for positions as clinical investigators and/or leaders in the profession. Opportunities exist for interdisciplinary study with an emphasis on the development of expertise within a focused area. Students receive mentored research experiences throughout the program. The doctoral program accepts students with either a BS in nursing or with an MS degree. The doctoral program sits within our sixth-ranked School of Nursing with regard to research funding from the National Institutes of Health [NIH] and within an excellent, well-ranked University environment.

In addition to our degree granting programs, the School of Nursing offers post-baccalaureate as well as post-master certificate programs in a variety of areas. We also offer continuing education for advanced practice nurses, nurse educators, and nurses returning to work. We are proud of our students, our alumni, and our educational programs at the University of Pittsburgh.

MISSION STATEMENT

The University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, founded in 1937, is one of the oldest programs in baccalaureate and doctoral education in nursing in the United States. As one of the nation's distinguished Schools of Nursing, the resources of the School constitute an invaluable asset for the intellectual, scientific and economic enrichment of health care in Pennsylvania, the nation, and throughout the world.

The School of Nursing's mission is to:

1. provide high quality undergraduate education in nursing;
2. develop superior graduate programs in nursing that respond to the needs of health care in general and nursing in particular within Pennsylvania, the nation, and the world;
3. engage in research and other scholarly activities that advance learning through the extension of the frontiers of knowledge in healthcare;
4. cooperate with healthcare, governmental, and related institutions to transfer knowledge in health sciences and health care;
5. offer continuing education programs adapted to the professional upgrading and career advancement interests and needs of nurses in Pennsylvania;
6. make available to local communities and public agencies the expertise of the School of Nursing in ways that are consistent with the primary teaching and research functions and contribute to the intellectual and economic development in healthcare within the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.

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School of Nursing Nursing School Location

School of Nursing Courses

HUMAN ANATOMY & PHYS 1
This course is designed to present students with a basic foundation in normal human anatomy and physiology. Topics covered are: cell physiology, histology, integrumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous and sensory systems. Emphasis is on the interaction of structure and function and the mechanisms which maintain homeostasis in the human body.

NURSING ANATOMY & PHYS I LAB
This course is designed to provide beginning nursing students with an overview of the nursing profession and an introduction to the School of Nursing. The purpose of the course is to facilitate the students' adjustment to the University environment and to acquaint them with the skills and resources available to promote success.

FRESHMAN SEMINAR - NURSING STUDENTS
This course is designed to provide beginning nursing students with an overview of the nursing profession and an introduction to the School of Nursing. The purpose of the course is to facilitate the students' adjustment to the University environment and to acquaint them with the skills and resources available to promote success.

HUMAN ANATOMY & PHYS 2
This course is designed to present students with a basic foundation in normal human anatomy and physiology. Body systems covered include: endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary, reproductive, and embryological development. Emphasis is on the interaction of structure and function and the mechanisms which maintain homeostasis in the human body.

NURSING ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY II LAB
This laboratory course is designed to provide students with hands-on experience related to the anatomy and physiology of the human body. Laboratory sessions complement the lecture component of Human Anatomy & Phys 2. Laboratory instruction emphasizes structure and how it relates to function and the maintenance of homeostasis in the whole body.

INTRO TO PROFESSIONAL NURSING
This course provides a broad overview and synthesis of the issues and trends most relevant to the practice of professional nursing. Historical, contemporary and potential influences on professional nursing practice are reviewed. An emphasis on the unique and varied roles of nurses in today's interdisciplinary health care environment are examined within the context of individual, family, community, and global health. Characteristics and major changes in health care delivery systems (federal, state, and local) are discussed. Components of professional nursing values and core practice competencies are presented. The concept of an evidence-based approach to clinical practice is introduced. Critical thinking strategies are introduced in the context of the nursing process.

NURSING INFORMATICS
This course focuses on concepts relevant to the practice of nursing informatics. The course emphasizes information technology applications and the principles of nursing informatics from a current and historical perspective. Learners will examine the analysis of healthcare data and its transformation to nursing knowledge. Nursing language concepts and their importance in clinical information system development will be identified. Learners will examine information technologies that manage clinical information and support patient care. Social and ethical issues in the context of clinical information systems will be examined. The impact of evolving/emerging information technologies on healthcare provider and consumer roles will be discussed.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING CARE
This course will focus on human responses to illness expressed at the physiologic, pathophysiologic, experiential and behavioral levels. Human responses will be examined in terms of assessments appropriate to selected problems, rationale for nursing and medical interventions, and therapeutic effectiveness.

This course focuses on concepts of communication, therapeutic intervention and decision making as they relate to the nursing process. Techniques of assessment of the physical, psychological, sociocultural and developmental dimensions of the individual will be explored through a variety of learning strategies. Variations of expected fundings based on influences such as age, social condition and culture will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on the therapeutic interventions of safety, hygiene, and comfort, health assessment and health promotion.

PHARMACOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS
Examination of the major categories of pharmacologic agents and application of pharmacologic concepts to clinical nursing practice. Emphasis is placed on understanding the physiologic actions of the drugs, expected patient responses, major side effects, and implications for nursing.

FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING PRACTICE II
The focus is on the cognitive basis, scientific principles and initial manipulative component of psychomotor skills used when providing nursing care which promotes, restores and maintains the health of the patient. During laboratory sessions students will have opportunity to practice simulated clinical skills. Nursing process, critical thinking and decision making serve as the framework for acquisition of clinical psychomotor skills. Through active laboratory participation, the student will demonstrate self direction as a learner.

NURS MGMT ADULT ACUTE/CHRONIC
Course focuses on the nursing care of hospitalized adults with acute and/or chronic illnesses. Students will be guided in critical thinking exercises and the use of therapeutic nursing interventions in management of hospitalized adults. Students will care for in-patients (2 days/week) who require medical and/or surgical treatments and who are not experiencing a complicated illness course. Successful completion of the clinical portion of the course is necessary to pass the course.

NURSING RESEARCH: INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL APPRAISAL AND EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE
The primary objective of this course is to assist students in becoming intelligent consumers of research. It provides the basis for evidence-based practice and provision of culturally-congruent care. Students gain an understanding of the relationship between quantitative and qualitative research processes to the development of nursing knowledge and the contributions of research to the evidence base of nursing practice. Students are to identify clinical problems and search the literature for information about the problem. Students are expected to critically appraise research articles, distinguish between useful, valid research and that which cannot or should not be applied to nursing practice.

NUR CLIENTS W PSYCH MH PBLMS
Designed to teach basic psychiatric mental health nursing concepts and their application to clinical practice utilizing the nursing process through understanding human psychophysiological and biobehavioral responses to stressors. Critical thinking and decision making process interventions are explored to promote, restore and maintain effective human responses to active/potential psychiatric and mental health problems. Application of theoretical concepts and nursing interventions is the focus of clinical experience in acute, chronic and community mental health settings.

ADV NURS MGT ADULT ACUTE/COMPLEX
This course focuses on nursing care of the adults experiencing acute and complex illnesses. Emphasis is placed on the prioritization and decision making processes of nursing care and the nursing responsibilities associated with diagnostic studies, medical/surgical management, evaluation of outcomes, health promotion and support for individuals and families experiencing acute and complex health problems. Collaboration with interdisciplinary health professionals in health restoration is fostered. Clinical experiences are offered in acute care, critical care and monitored units.

ETHICS IN NURSING AND HEALTH CARE
This course introduces students to the domain of clinical ethics as a foundation for developing ethical expertise in nursing practice. The course focuses on contemporary nursing and health care issues that raise personal and professional ethical concerns. Emphasis is placed on cultural differences, current legislation, political and religious controversy, economic constraints, and professional commitment related to the resolution of the identified ethical dilemmas. The process of ethical analysis and reasoning is used to resolve representative patient and health care situations.

COMM HLTH NUR THEORY & PRAC
This course will provide the student with a broad introduction to community health and the role of nursing within this context. Through the use of critical thinking and decision-making, independence and collaboration with community-based clinicians in a variety of setting will be encouraged. Students will explore epidemilogy; health promotion and disease prevention within groups; individual and family case mgmt; community assessment and intervention; environmental hazards; and factors influencing the delivery of and access to community health services.

ADV CLINICAL PROBLEM SOLVING
Course focuses on the nursing management of the adult experiencing acute or complex illnesses with an alteration in multiple body systems. Principles of crisis intervention are integrated to design interactions for adult clients who have life threatening, physiological and possibly psychological problems. The student's ability to apply nursing process using critical thinking is expanded through classroom and clinical activities. Collaboration with interdisciplinary health professionals in health promotion and restoration is fostered.

INTRO TO GENETICS & MOLEC THERA
This is an introductory course that focuses on the fundamentals of genetics. The course is designed to give the student a basic understanding of genetic concepts so that this knowledge can be utilized to understand current and future genetic theories and therapeutics.

NURSING CARE OF OLDER ADULTS
This course is designed to ensure competency in providing evidence-based healthcare to older adults and their families, across a continuum of health care settings. Attention is given to the complex interaction of acute and chronic co-morbid conditions, interdisciplinary collaboration, the recognition of risk factors, valid and reliable health assessment, and individualized care for older adults across a continuum of health care settings. the influence of attitudes, age, gender, race, culture, religion, language, lifestyle, technology, and health care policy on the biological, psychological, and social functioning of older adults is considered.

NUTRITION FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE
Course focuses on nutrition for clinical practices for nurses. Food for energy and the major nutrients are considered for the promotion of health and medical nutrition therapy for selected disruptions of health. Emphasis is placed on nutrition assessment and interventions in relation to the nutrition goals of Healthy People 2010 and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

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